Generation Awake is a European movement that promotes sustainable consumption choices among young urban adults.

Context

Generation Awake is an awareness-raising campaign launched by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment in 2011 to promote a resource-efficient Europe. The campaign is part of a wider effort to raise awareness among the general public about the environmental, economic and social benefits of using natural resources – like water, energy, wood or metals – in a more efficient and sustainable way. Its key message is 'consume differently, and think before you choose'. By making the right choices we can all help preserve natural resources, save money, reduce our impact on the environment and make our future more sustainable.
In 2014 a new phase of the campaign was launched to promote the circular economy and better waste management, and encourage EU citizens to discover the value of waste and to recycle, reuse, exchange, upcycle, repair rather than throw away. Although its tonality is light-hearted, the campaign promotes a serious message: waste is a resource, as it often contains valuable – but scarce – materials that can be reintroduced into the economic system if properly reused or recycled. This saves environmental and economic resources, helping to push Europe towards a more circular economy.

Philosophy/Solution

Generation Awake targets the general public, showing what can be done in daily life to reduce waste and use natural resources like water, energy, wood and metals more wisely.
It was launched in 2011 by the European Commissions Directorate-General for the Environment to encourage a shift towards a more resource-efficient Europe. Aimed at 25- to 40-year olds, the campaign invites people to think about consumption habits and their consequences for the environment, natural resources, quality of life, health and well-being.
In 2012 the campaign focused on water consumption, while in 2014 the spotlight has turned to better waste management – one of the key elements in achieving the goals of the green economy.
The clip ‘Generation Awake presents The Awakeners’, has the look and feel of a film ‘trailer’, which previews the main feature. It introduces a new character, Richard Rubbish, who joins the other characters who now form a team united around the goal of reducing waste – ‘The Awakeners’. The clip’s main aim was to introduce the 2014 theme of waste and to drive traffic to the Generation Awake website

Results

Since its launch (4 February 2014) the clip has been viewed over 2 835 808 times (mix of owned, earned and paid media).